Tag Archives: social media

Facebook is the most popular social media networking site on the internet. What started out as a gathering place for college students has become a very powerful marketing strategy for online and offline businesses.

The basic concept of Facebook is to get people to follow your page so your posts, videos, images, etc., can be seen by more people. Facebook is a place to make connections, build relationships and gain trust and confidence in you and your business.

But before you can start building those relationships you need to get people to follow you. There are many things you can do to accomplish this goal.

1. Facebook Profile – Be sure to complete your Facebook profile. Make it as appealing and interesting as possible. Give people a reason to want to “Like” you.

2. Quality Content – Post content that will offend no one. Make it helpful and interesting. Don’t get caught up in bashing or offensive debates. Post content that will compel people to react and comment. Offer free gifts. Give discounts. Offer solutions and benefits. What makes you visit a page over and over? Put yourself in your visitors’ shoes. Would you come back for more?

3. Update Regularly – Unfortunately many people take the time to put up a Facebook page and then fail to visit and update it regularly. You must give your page the time and attention it needs to stay fresh and alive. People will stop visiting a page that contains the same posts each time. You have to make Facebook a daily task. Add new content each day. Be sure to post original content along with sharing and reposting.

4. Tagging – Tagging is essentially linking to a person or page. If you tag a person in a photo or post, they will be notified and a link is made to their page. This is a great way to interact with other people on Facebook and to make more people aware of your page.

5. Get Involved – Other than posting and tagging you will need to get involved with conversations on Facebook. Post comments, helpful advice, useful information, etc. on appropriate posts. Get involved in conversations. Be sincere and show true interest. People will see through you if you merely pretend to participate.

6. EdgeRank – EdgeRank is the procedure that Facebook uses to decide which posts should be displayed in a user’s newsfeed. Learn all you can about how it works and how you can optimize your page for the procedure. By using EdgeRank to your advantage, you will know what content is most effective and on what content to make improvements.

7. Keep Evolving – Facebook is always changing and adding new features. Be sure to keep abreast of the changes so your page will evolve as well. One of their newest features is the ability to schedule your posts. This is a great feature because it allows you to set up posts for the most advantageous times even if you cannot post manually.

8. Link Your Page – Be sure to link your Facebook page to your other social media pages, your blog and your email. Add your Facebook link to your email signature. Put “Like” buttons on every page of your blog or website. Make it easy for people to like you!

9. “Invite Your Friends” Box – An “Invite Your Friends” box will allow your fans and visitors to invite their friends to like your page. This can give your page a substantial boost. It can be done in just a few clicks.

10. Call to Action Image – Facebook has a new policy that allows for cover images to include a call-to-action. Many times all people need is a nudge to get them to take action. By adding an attention grabbing image telling people to like your page, you could get a considerable higher amount of “Likes”.

Facebook is not only for personal use but can be a tremendous boost to your business. Take advantage of what they have to offer but be prepared to put in the time and effort to make your page a success!

About the Author:Terri Seymour has over 15 years of internet marketing experience and has helped many people start their own business. Visit her site for free articles, resources, information, resell ebook business opportunity and more. Subscribe to the RSS Feed for her free business building ebook with MRR. http://www.SeymourProducts.com

In my last article, I listed ten ideas for business events on your blog or website and in this article, I would like to offer ideas for promoting those events. By holding various events on your blog or website you are giving people an incentive for visiting your website and you are also stirring up more interest in what you have to offer.

Events are an excellent way to get people to interact with your site and business. And by creating more interaction, you are making your site much more memorable.

Below are ten ideas for promoting your event.

1. Event Directories – There are many sites that list all kinds of events and are many times free. If you are holding a contest, do a search for contest directory. There are sites that are event specific and some sites will list all types of events. Some of the most popular are Zvents, Yelp, Eventful, Eventbrite and EventSetter.

2. Social Media – In this day and age social media is always on the list! You can send invites to all your friends on Facebook but if you get a lot of these invites, you can get in the habit of just deleting them without even reading them. Truth be told, they can be annoying. So, rather than just sending mass invites, post teasers about your event with a link to more details. Let your friends who are interested go find out about your event so you are not just getting deleted.

LinkedIn offers a new event promoting tool that will highlight your event to your network connections that are more likely to be interested in what you are offering.

Promote your event on Pinterest with a visually stimulating pin with teasers and relevant information. Be sure to take advantage of all social media sites that can help draw more people to your event.

3. eMail Signature – Add a small teaser to your email signature.

For example:

Win free prizes while building your business!

Expand your network while having fun!

Think what would make you click on a link and use that. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes.

4. Announcements – Send announcements in your newsletter or send an announcement to your email list. Build the anticipation so people will want to attend.

5. Video Announcement – Add a short video to your site letting all your visitors know about your event. Offer a free gift at the end of the video so people will be more likely to listen to your announcement.

6. Cross Promoting – Contact other business owners who are also promoting events and work together to promote each other’s event. Working with others not only can increase your exposure but can help your business in other ways as well.

7. Start Promoting Early – I would recommend starting at least 2-3 months before the event. You want time to build up a lot of anticipation and reach a large target guest list. Be consistent the whole promotion time. Don’t start off with a bang and then let your promoting lapse.

8. Promote Offline – Tell everyone you know about your event. Ask them to tell everyone they know who might be interested. Print out flyers or postcards highlighting your event. Have some of these with you at all times to take advantage of every opportunity.

9. Attend Similar Events – Attending similar events gives you a chance to get more leads on people who would be interested in your event.

10. Message Boards and Discussion Groups – If you are involved in forums such as these, add a link in your signature and promote it as much as the board or group allows.

Holding online events can do a lot for your business. They can increase your networking connections, bring more people to your site, raise awareness of what you offer and much more.

Take the time to plan and promote your event effectively for more success. A well-planned event could be just what your business needs!

About the Author:

Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Social media and email marketing are two powerful business tools and if you bring them together you could greatly improve your marketing response. It was once thought that social media might replace email as a marketing medium but people began to realize that combining the two could bring greater results for their marketing efforts.

Social media marketing and email marketing are similar in that they both give you the opportunity to build relationships with your subscribers and/or followers. As we know, building relationships is the foundation of a successful business.

But how do we most effectively combine the two power tools to achieve the desired outcome? Below are some tips and ideas on how to use social media to build a strong, active and profitable email list.

1. Subscription Form – Be sure to add subscription forms when possible to your social pages. Make it as easy as possible for people to sign up.

2. Incentive for Subscribing – Always offer people an incentive for subscribing to your mailing list. A free report, free ebook or gift of some sort will help guide and encourage people to sign up for your newsletter.

3. Interact with Your Social Contacts – Always respond promptly to comments, questions and likes. Ask for people’s opinions and ideas. Making people feel important and appreciated will go a long way!

4. Post Teasers – Post little teasers for upcoming issues such as “Coming tomorrow”, or “Releasing soon”. Snippets like this will heighten anticipation and get more people interested in reading your newsletter.

5. Sample Issues – Let your followers know they can read a sample issue. Post and tweet links to one of your best issues. Do this on a regular basis, not just once.

6. Has Been Sent Notification – Let your followers know when your newsletter has been sent. Announce this to your network as well.

7. Social Link Access – To substantiate the connection between email and social media be sure to publish your social links in your newsletter. You want to connect your email with your social pages as much as possible.

8. Host Events – Host regular events on your Facebook page and other social sites to increase the awareness and interest for your newsletter. Offer exclusive gifts and incentives for people attending your event to subscribe to your newsletter.

9. Games and Prizes – Run a weekly contest or game in your newsletter and offer a prize. Keep your followers and fans posted on this game as well to get their attention focused on your newsletter.

Developing a deep connection with your social sites and mailing list can have a substantial effect on your business success. Use the ideas above but also try to expand on them to come up with more fun and creative ways to get your social network interested in and signed up for your email list.

Always be raising awareness of your mailing list and what you have to offer. You cannot assume people from your social sites will go visit your business site so bring the best of your business to them!

About the Author:

Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Social networking is the process of making connections and building a network, one person at a time. You make a connection with one person and you are then exposed to all their connections and so on and so on. Social networking has been practiced for centuries but the development of the internet has enabled social networking to explode with possibilities. With sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and many more, we can connect with people all over the world!

Along with the benefits of social networking come responsibilities. There are accepted rules and actions necessary for effective social networking. These rules and actions will define your conduct. Your conduct will be the deciding factor as to whether or not your social networking skills will be successful.

1. DO build relationships – Building relationships is the foundation of a successful business. Get to know your clients and let them get to know you. Form a bond based on trust and respect. Be sincere and genuinely show interest in helping your clients find the solution they are seeking. Gone are the days of pushy salesmen and intimidation tactics.

2. DO participate and get involved – Setting up your social pages and sitting back to wait for connections will not suffice. Answer questions, ask questions, comment on people’s posts, retweet, and really interact. You have to take the time to participate in conversations, take an interest in people’s opinions, get involved with events, and commit to putting in the time needed to bond with your connections.

3. DO share helpful resources – Always be looking for helpful information and resources to share with your friends and followers. Be as helpful as you can. Let people know they can rely on you for help and information and they will come to rely on you AND your business for more.

3. DO be honest – Always be upfront with people and do not offer them solutions you cannot deliver. If you cannot provide what they need, direct them to someone who can. This will strengthen their trust in you plus expand your networking circle.

4. DO update frequently – Visit your social sites daily and keep your posts new and fresh. But do not post so much that people start to ignore you or delete you. There is no set rule on posting frequency. All cases and sites are different but try to post at least 1-3 times per day.

5. DO complete your profile – If your profile is left undone or incomplete it will do certain damage to your social networking. An incomplete profile appears unprofessional. People will think you are trying to hide something. The trust will be significantly diminished. People will more likely connect with you if you provide complete profile information.

6. DO NOT lose control – You must, at all times, retain your composure and not let your emotions rule your behavior. If someone loses control, keep calm and reply with respect and courtesy but do not let them intimidate you. Be strong yet well-mannered. In most cases you will be able to “bring down” the person and they will have a stronger opinion of you. Of course, there are some people that just will not adhere to common courtesy and you just have to eliminate them from your network.

7. DO NOT get too personal – If you are networking for your business, people do not want to hear how you cleaned your toilet or what movie you are watching, etc. Be professional and post only helpful, interesting items. Adding a little humor is effective as well but be very cautious not to post anything inappropriate or offensive. People have different levels of humor and sensitivity so keep the humor light and acceptable.

8. DO NOT connect with everyone – Anytime you get a friend request or follow be sure to check out the person. Do not just connect with everyone so you can have a larger network. Learn to be cautious and how to decipher legitimate requests from hackers and spammers. This brings us back to the completed profile. I never connect with anyone who has no information at all in their profile. If they do not want to share who they are, that is a big red flag. Also be sure to verify any links, downloads, photos, attachments, etc.

9. DO NOT share too much information – People do not need to know when you are going on vacation or when you are home alone, etc. Be cautious and use common sense. Building your business does not require you to share your privacy and vulnerabilities.

10. DO NOT post without proofreading – Be sure to check your spelling, grammar, etc. Even posts that you feel has nothing to do with business need to be properly written because everything you do in the social networking world will affect your business. Maintain professionalism, courtesy and respect no matter how trivial you feel your post or response!

Without social networking, more than likely your business will not survive. Take advantage of the power and possibilities the internet provides. But always be aware, cautious and courteous when connecting, posting and building those ever important relationships!

About the Author:

Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Google Plus is a social networking site launched by Google in 2011. It now has approximately 250 million users and is growing in popularity. Google Plus is similar to Facebook but yet different in several ways. One major difference is that you can organize your friends and followers into separate “Circles” so you can post appropriate messages to the right people. It is not just one mass posting.

With its many features and differences, Google Plus can seem a bit complicated and confusing so below are ten tips to help you use Google Plus to its maximum efficiency.

1. Profile – As always, take advantage of your profile area. You want to establish your personal identity but also connect your personal profile with your business. Instead of using your company logo for your avatar, use a picture of yourself. This will establish you as an actual person and give you a head start for building the relationships needed for your online business. Showcase what your business can do for people in the “About” section. Highlight your business but keep your personal identity evident as well.

2. Hangouts – This is one feature that separates Google Plus from Facebook and other social networking sites. The Hangouts feature allows you to connect, by video, with up to ten people at one time. This is great for meetings, training, demonstrations, webinars, e-classes, etc. Use this tool with creativity and grow your business.

3. Categorize with Circles – Another advantage of using Google Plus is their “Circles” feature. This allows you to categorize your followers, which in turn allows you to send the appropriate messages to the appropriate groups of people. No more mass posting and sending irrelevant messages to people. You can separate your followers into customers, family, trainees, etc. This is another way that Google Plus has come out ahead for networking.

4. Sparks – Yet another great feature of Google Plus is Sparks. This handy tool lets you enter a keyword and an alert will be sent to you whenever any content on this subject is posted. This is a great way to search for and find relevant and interesting content to share.

5. Shorten Your URL – Be sure to shorten your URL as you probably won’t want to use the default link Google assigns to you. To do this, you can go to gplus.to and choose the nickname for your URL. I would use my company name but some people prefer to use their actual name.

6. Invite People to Your Circles – In your account you will see a suggestion list, provided by Google, of people to invite to your circles. Make a habit of going through these suggestions and inviting different people to the appropriate circle. More people than not will accept your invitation and it helps in building an effective network.

7. Drag and Drop – You can easily drag and drop photos, links, videos, etc. from your desktop to your Google Plus comment box. This allows you much creativity to create memorable and unique posts.

8. Google Notifications Window – This feature is helpful because it allows you to comment right in the window. You do not have to click over to a website to share a comment. You can also scroll through to see older and/or newer notifications. This can be a great timesaver.

9. Check Your Google Plus Settings – There are many notification options available to you. You can opt to get notified when someone mentions you or adds you to their circle. There are several options available to you so be sure to check all the ones that apply.

10. Use Mashable – Mashable is a news source that will keep you abreast of all Google’s features, updates, and other digital social media news as well. This will allow you to make the most of your Google Plus and social media tactics.

Although Google Plus is not yet the powerhouse that Facebook is, it has many outstanding features and uses that could make it a very effective component in your social networking agenda.

About the Author: Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Twitter is a fun and engaging social network site that was launched in 2006 and has since earned its way into the top ten most visited sites. With Twitter, you can post short text messages called tweets. As of 2012 Twitter has over 500 million users and several million tweets are posted per day. When used properly Twitter can be an effective marketing tool for your business.

However, we’ve all seen such tweets as “Watching Shrek tonight with the kids and having popcorn.” Tweets like these are not effective in building a business network. Learning to write more effective tweets will help you expand your networking circle and in doing so, help you build a more successful business.

1. Keep it Short and Simple – Although Twitter allows you 140 characters per post studies have shown that smaller posts are more effective. Tweets with less than 100 characters are more successful with 80 character tweets being the optimum length. Shorter posts have a greater chance of being retweeted as well.

2. Use Hashtags Carefully – Using hashtags will help categorize your tweets to help them show up in searches. This will allow your tweet to work much more efficiently. Simply use the pound sign in front of your targeted word or phrase like so: #ebooks. Using hashtags sparingly can be effective but overusing them is more like spam and will likely do more harm than good. Studies have shown that using more than two hashtags per tweet decreased the tweet’s effectiveness.

3. Maximum Punch for More Clicks – You only have so much space and time for your tweets so you have to write them like attention-grabbing headlines. They must have punch to get people to notice and then click your link. Use the most powerful words that will pull readers in. Take note of which tweets get your attention and how they are written. Take a little time to practice writing your tweets before posting.

4. Don’t Always Be Selling – Social networking is for making connections and building relationships, not just selling. If all you do is try to sell your products through your tweets, you will not get much response. Offer resources, helpful information, interesting tidbits, etc. Useful content will get attention, not just ads.

5. Tweet When the Time is Right – Certain days and certain times of the day can be more effective for tweeting. You need to find out the best time for your followers. Tweriod is a free Twitter tool that can give you a detailed report of the best time of days and what days you should tweet for maximum results.

6. Where to Place Your Link – A detail as small as where you place your link within your tweet can make a difference on the impact the tweet makes. Most people tend to put their link at the end of the post but reports have shown this is not the most effective placement. Research shows that your link will get the highest CTR (click-thru rate) when placed &frac14; of the way into your tweet. Links will work at the end of the tweet but not as much as when placed at the first quarter. The second most effective placement would be in the 98% area of the tweet. You can read more details in the report by Dan Zarella. He did this study based on 200,000 random tweets with links.

7. Twitter Specials – Offer your followers something they can only get on Twitter. People like to feel appreciated and offering them an exclusive deal can sometimes do the trick.

8. Be Consistent – Just as with your blog, you need to provide fresh content for your readers. Don’t just tweet once and not come back for weeks. This will not help build trust or reliability. Update your account on a regular schedule and be consistent.

9. Add Personality – The purpose of social networking is to get to know people, make connections and build relationships so you need to let people know you by allowing your personality to show through in your tweets. Get to know your followers and post information they will be interested in. Add some appropriate fun and humor along with helpful resources and pertinent information. Be helpful, positive, professional, fun and appreciative!

10. As Always, Use Proper Grammar and Spelling – Use correctly spelled complete words when tweeting for your business. Do not use u for you or ur for your or you’re. Be sure to use proper grammar as well. Always write professionally and correctly.

Twitter and other social networking sites can do a lot for your business but you need to utilize them correctly and completely to get the maximum benefits.

About the Author: Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Blogging is a form of social media and for social media to be successful you need interaction. A non-interactive neglected blog will simply die out and become oblivious to the cyber world.

Blogging became popular in the late 1990s and is one of the most effective ways of social networking. Although blogging started out more as an online personal diary, the importance of blogs today for all businesses is greatly significant.

Below are some ideas for you to help make your blog more interactive so it can reach its full potential.

1. Ask for Comments – At the end of your posts, ask readers to share their ideas, suggestions and opinions on the post. You will be surprised at how big a difference this little detail can make.

2. Make Leaving Comments Easy – Don’t ask visitors for their life history just to leave a comment. Just have them leave their name, email and website url. You also might want to consider not having a captcha or word verification. These can cause problems and end with the person leaving and not coming back.

3. Allow Signatures – If your visitors are allowed to leave a small signature with their url, it might be the deciding factor in whether or not they will take the time to leave a comment. It is a way of repaying them for their time and participation.

4. Social Media – Be sure to link to all your social media sites and also allow your visitors to share your blog with their followers and fans. You can do this with free social media plug-ins.

5. Subscribe to Comments – Be sure to find a plugin that will allow your visitors to subscribe to comments on particular posts. This way when anyone comments or replies to their comment they will be notified and will probably come back to add to the conversation.

6. Respond to Comments – Don’t forget to participate in the conversations yourself. Respond to people’s comments. Let them know you appreciate their participation and thank them for their feedback.

7. Participate in Other Blogs – Be sure to always participate in other quality blogs. By doing this, you can easily attract people to your blog for more interaction.

8. Watch Competitor Blogs – Always keep on your competition. Study their blogs and see what makes them tick.

9. Moderate Comments – Do not let spammers post on your blog. You do not want your blog looking like a junk pile of comments. Approve only serious and helpful comments.

16. Event Calendar – Add an event calendar to your site so people can see all the activity your blog has to offer. This will add to their reasons for coming back to your blog.

17. Blog Comment Policy – Add a blog comment policy so people know exactly what to expect when comment or reading other posts. Things like no profanity, no negative comments, no flaming, etc., can add to your blog’s credibility. Let people know you welcome a wide array of opinions and value all comments.

18. Build Trust and Credibility – Open up to your visitors and let them get to know you. Don’t try to keep hidden because people will not trust you if the feel you don’t want them to know you.

There are many more ways to encourage interaction on your blog so start implementing some of the above ideas and always be on the lookout for new innovative ways to pump up the activity on your blog.

About the Author: Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com

Developing a well-designed professional website for your business is critical these days and WordPress is an excellent way to achieve this goal. The internet is more competitive than it ever has been and you will need an up to date, user-friendly, proficient website.

I used to have a site that was built manually and all changes had to be done manually as well. I really loved the site and it did well but it finally came time to admit that I needed to modernize and update our site. My online business is a big part of me and letting go of my hard work was difficult but I knew it had to be done. My web consultant recommended WordPress and after looking it over, I agreed.

The differences with WordPress are amazing! My site is much more efficient, easy to use and I can do much more with it. There are more options for this type of site but WordPress is the one I use and can personally recommend. Below are some of the more important reasons why you should be using WordPress for your business website.

1. Free – Building a business is tough enough so when you can get something of quality for free that will help your business it is definitely worth looking into. WordPress does not charge for the use of their themes, plugins, widgets, etc.

2. SEO Friendly – SEO (search engine optimization) is an important part of your online success. Much of your site’s traffic will come from the major search engines. Getting listed towards the top of these search engines is not always easy so having a search engine friendly site can help immensely. There are many WordPress plugins to help specifically with SEO. WordPress also provides spam protection to keep your site from getting penalized by the search engines.

3. Social Media Efficiency – WordPress sites have excellent social media capabilities to help build your business. There are plugins that will connect all your social site pages to your main site and automatically post to them when you post on your site. This enables you to share more of your content and get more people to see what your site has to offer.

4. Easy to Use – You do not need to know HTML or PHP coding to create your own WordPress site. Everything is coded for you and it is basically a matter of putting everything into place. Instead of having to build your house, all you have to do is arrange the furniture.

5. Content Updates – Updating your site with new content regularly is very important and using WordPress makes it very easy to manage your content. It takes just minutes to create new pages or posts with a simple text editor in your site Admin.

6. Support – Anytime you have problems with your site there is an extensive support system available. Also, WordPress is so widely used that you can do a search and easily find answers to your website questions.

7. Professional Themes – WordPress provides hundreds of professionally designed website themes for you to use. These themes come in a variety of designs, layouts and color. This does not mean that you will have a cookie cutter website. You can easily customize the look of your site so it has its own unique appeal.

8. Plugins – Plugins are little add-ons that provide different features for your site. There are tons of plugins from which you can choose. For example: there is a plugin that schedules and displays events on your site. This is great if you have special offer sales, do webinars, classes or online parties. There is another plugin that will make your site mobile ready. The possibilities are limitless!

9. Easy to Change – Many people periodically freshen up their site with a new layout or design. Also, your business might become such a huge success it outgrows your original site and requires more features, etc. Changing and adding to your site is extremely easy with WordPress. You can choose a new theme and it will override the old one without disturbing your content. You can add on more extensive plugins and widgets to accommodate your business’s growing needs in minutes.

10. Blogging Ability – WordPress sites originally were developed for blogging so not only can you successfully manage your whole business site, you have blogging capabilities as well. Although blogging started out more like writing a daily journal it is invaluable for most businesses. These sites are blog ready.

So if you have or are thinking about a business website, be sure to look into WordPress and other similar sites. The ease, efficiency and capabilities of these sites can help you and your business grow and progress for great success!

About the Author: Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> http://www.SeymourProducts.com